Photo. Chenoa Maxwell

In terms of hype, tonight’s Suns/Lakers matchup is without a doubt the biggest game of the season. The entire basketball world will be watching (and scrutinizing) Shaq’s debut in a Suns uni on his new home floor. How will he look? Is he healthy? Is he in shape? How will be blend with the Suns offense? How will his presence change the way they play? With the matchup against Kobe as the game’s backdrop, and with the vast majority of the game’s “experts” having skewered the trade since it went down, all eyes are on Phoenix tonight.

We thought we’d mix up our coverage a bit and give you predictions straight from most of the Dime Crew. And at the end, let us know what you think…

Austin Burton - Associate Editor
Well, unless Shaq was faking the hip injury (and I’m not saying he was or wasn’t), he still has to work his way back into rhythm. Even then, it will take him a while to find his niche in Phoenix’s offense. So I’d say for these first two games he won’t dominate or
anything — maybe 10-12 points and 7-9 rebounds a night. This deal wasn’t made for now, though; it was made for the playoffs and to get past Tim Duncan and the Spurs.

Andrew “Whitey” Katz - Editorial Assistant
16 and 8. He’ll match his season-high of 6 offensive boards, with Gasol withering under Shaq’s weight. Remember what happened the last time Shaq and a floppy-haired European fought it out for the playoffs in the West? We have this song to refresh our memories. But tonight, it won’t matter. Nobody can guard Kobe. He and his pinky finger hang 38 on Phoenix in an L.A. win.

Dewane Mutunga - Intern
Shaq’s arrival should be very interesting but i think it was a good thing for more reasons than it is a bad one. Offensively, Phoenix wins because Shaq gives them that real true inside presence that they’ve been lacking. Shaq still commands double teams which will translate into kickouts for open threes. His rebounding ability will also help spark the fastbreak and allow Amare to run instead of putting extra focus on grabbing rebounds. When Shaq turns it on he’s still one of the most dominant players in the game and even though he’s on the back-end of his career, he’s still better than most big men in the League. He also gives them a better chance in those half-court games. Defensively, he’s that inside presence, the anchor and obviously a big body. He maybe definitely be a liability defensively and in an uptempo game … but hey, nobody’s perfect.

Overall, i think it was a good move because they now have a legitimate center who’s a proven winner. Amare can now play at his natural position and he has Shaq as a mentor. Most importantly, I think Shaq gives them a better chance of winning in the playoffs.

LeKeith Taylor - Online Marketing Director
My prediction: Shaq will inadvertently (or advertently, depending on how you look at it) run into a ball rack and injure his big toe and be out for two more months - All while trying to hug Kobe.

Jed Berger - Executive Publisher
The Warriors vs. Suns game from the Wednesday before All-Star is the exact example why the Suns made the deal for Shaq. In that game, the Suns lost 120-118. They still scored 1118 points without Marion, but the Warriors, namely Baron and Monta, were getting into the lane and finishing on the regular. I think they could care less if Diesel scores eight points per game or
20 points per game. The clearly need a big body clogging the lane and defending the basket. The Suns will still get out and run, but they’ll finish with guys like Barbosa, Hill, Diaw, Nash, and Amare.

Photo. Chenoa Maxwell

I think tonight Shaq will play about 20 to 25 minutes, defend, rebound and start the break by outletting to one of the Suns guards. I think that will be the focus of tonight and moving forward and if Shaq can dramatically help with defending the lane and starting the break off missed shots rather than made shots, than the Suns will be happy with the deal.

Prediction - The Suns hold the Lakers to under 100 points, Shaq gets 8 points, 8 boards, and 2 blocks, and the Suns win.

Christian Grant-Fields - Lifestyle Editor
Personally, I think Shaq is going to kill it playing for the Suns. Teams can’t double him now because of Amare Stoudemire, and coaches are going to have to put their best post defender on STAT because he is going to KILL at the 4. Shaq doesn’t have to average 30 in PHX. He has enough weapons to put up points. All he has to do is rebound. I think he’ll avg like 15 and 10. This new scenery and chance to win a chip will rejuvenate him. In my opinion, the Suns are the front runners to win the West. Steve Nash has not one but two low post threats to feed the ball to. Say what you want about Shaq’s decline, he’s still a threat.

Jason Burke - Marketing
With Amare being able to play a true 4 and a lot of pressure being shifted to Shaq, you’re going to see a big game from him. But the Lakers have a much more balanced offense now, so in the end … Lakers 112, Suns 105.

Spencer Isetta - Intern
Shaq’s presence will be felt on the defensive end and at the free throw line (helping the Sun’s get into the bonus early on). The Big Aristotle will help the Sun’s get the #4 seed in the West where they will meet the Lake Show in Round 2. I see Kobe taking out Shaq and the Suns in 5 games of the second round.

Josh Gotthelf - Publisher
We can all agree that Shaq isn’t close to what he used to be. Watching him so far this season has been sad at times. But the funny thing is, he’s still putting up 14 and 8. And maybe the most telling stat is he’s shooting 58 percent from the field. So when he gets his touches, he’s efficient. I don’t blame him for demanding the ball more in Miami. No, he can’t run with the Suns - and the Suns have been getting killed for that aspect of the trade. But it’s not like Nash and crew are going to pull up at half court and wait
for Shaq. They’ll do their thing, get out and run, and when they’re in the half-court set, Shaq demands that the defense put a body on him. You can’t really argue that his presence isn’t an asset, even if he doesn’t have the post moves and wind he used to have. And the big X-factor is Shaq is pissed off. And just about every time he’s pissed and challenged, he shuts up his critics. I refuse to believe he’s going to embarrass himself.

The other big thing is Nash signed off on this deal. That says a lot. Clearly there’s a reason the Suns wanted Marion off the squad.

Patrick Cassidy - Editorial Director
I think tonight will actually be a whole lot about nothing. Shaq’s not going to come out and play 40 minutes or anything like that. He’ll get the start, the Suns will look to get him some touches early on (for Shaq and for the fans), but I’d be surprised if there’s much more after that. This is just game one and he needs to really be worked into the mix. This is still The Diesel though, and on stage tonight, he’ll be good for a few dunks and other highlights.

Long-term, I think this will reap real benefits for Phoenix. In Miami, where it seemed to be a lost cause before the season even started, you could see the malaise engulfing him and his teammates. When you’ve got nothing left to prove, and you’ve been doing your thing for almost 15 years like Shaq has, I can sort of understand him letting the season slip away in Miami.

Things are different now, though. He’s made a point of letting Nash and Amare know that he’s 100 percent committed to taking this team to the next level. In the cover story I did on him for Dime 39, he told me his goal is to get as many rings as he can before leaving the game. He didn’t have the chance to get more with Miami. He knows he can with Phoenix. The Diesel will help them tremendously.

What do you think Shaq will do tonight and what will he mean for the Suns this season?